A Walk by the Lakeside
by Self-Stirring-Cauldron
Summary: A little HermioneKrum fic. Set, as the title suggests, around a walk by the lake. Not much but my first fanfiction so please read? It might be good, you never know till you try.
1. Chapter 1

_**A Walk by the Lakeside**_

Hermione Granger woke up early on the Saturday following the second task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Having nothing better to do, she decided to go down to the Grand Hall for breakfast. There were only a few people down there when she arrived.

Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Sinistra were sitting at the staff table, a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws huddled in groups at their own tables, five or six Gryffindors were near the top of their table and a group of Durmstrangs were settled over at the Slytherin table.

With a tingling feeling in her stomach, Hermione noticed Viktor was among them.

His trademark scowl disappeared for a moment as he smiled across the Great Hall at her and she smiled back as she sat down at the Gryffindor table, pulling cereal, milk and pumpkin juice towards her.

By the time Hermione had finished her breakfast the Great Hall was beginning to fill up, although there was no sign of Harry or Ron appearing yet.

Across the Hall, the Durmstrangs rose from the Slytherin table, talking in Bulgarian to each other.

Most of them started in a group towards the Entrance Hall but Viktor made his way over to the Gryffindor table to where Hermione was sitting.

"Hallo Herm-own-ninny" he said, with a smile quite untypical of him.

"Good morning Viktor" Hermione said.

Krum scuffed his foot along the floor. "I vas vondering… if… maybe… vood you like to go for a valk around the lake?"

He sounded so nervous, even though he was four years older than her and an international Quidditch star _and_ a Triwizard champion and Hermione found it endearing.

"I'd love to" she said and rose from the bench, to a relieved smile from Viktor.

Suddenly she was quite glad Harry and Ron weren't there, as Ron would probably be glowering at Krum in a very hostile manner and Harry trying very hard to calm him down, without success.

Viktor nervously took her hand as they left the Great Hall and Hermione, in an effort to assure him that it was all right, squeezed his fingers gently.

As he led her around the lake where the Durmstrang ship was anchored, Hermione noticed a few of Krum's friends down by the shore.

They were taking turns to shoot tongues of flame from their wands, which got progressively higher and higher.

As Krum and Hermione watched, one boy shot up a fifty-foot flame and another, with a blur of wand movement, made it take the shape of a flaming hawk, which took off into the sky and perched on the topmast of the ship _without burning it_ before disappearing.

Hermione watched in open-mouthed awe this incredible display of magic. Krum turned and grinned as he saw her. "Do you like our little tricks?" he asked, mischievously.

"Wow." Hermione breathed. She had never seen anyone in Hogwarts perform magic like that. It was so powerful and yet, so beautiful.

"Vood you like me to teach you?" Krum asked. "It is simple enough magic. You just need to focus and I think you are very good at that, no?"

Hermione blushed at his praise but pulled out her wand. Viktor also produced his.

"Look" he said. "_Exardescere!_" The tongue of flame shot from his wand. "Now you try," he said to Hermione.

Hermione pointed her wand upwards and outwards and said _"Exardescere!" _

Flames did leap from her wand although they were much shorter than Viktor's had been.

"You are very good" Viktor said, sounding surprised and delighted. "I could not do that my first time."

Hermione once again blushed at the compliment but had a very happy grin on her face all the same.

"I am thinking maybe you could learn how to change its shape?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes please" she said fervently.

Viktor chuckled a little at her eagerness. "Yes. Now ven the fire comes from your vand, you do _this_" he made a flowing wave in the air with his wand.

"And think very hard about vat you vant it to change into. Try this." He made the flowing pass in the air again.

Hermione tried very hard to copy Krum's movements. He gently put his right hand over hers and corrected her slightly.

"Good. Do you vant to try the whole thing now?"

Hermione nodded. "Excardescere!" she shouted and flames came leaping from her wand. She made the pass in the air with it and focused very hard on the image in her mind.

When she looked up a fiery rose in full bloom hung in the air above her and Viktor. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at it.

It was so beautiful and _she_ had made it. She let out a sigh as it disappeared.

"That vas beautiful." Krum's quiet voice came from behind her. "You are the best vitch I have ever met, Hermione Granger."

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "You said my name right!"

"Did I?" Krum looked abashed and pleased at the same time. "Try it again." Hermione said. "Herm own nee," he said slowly.

Hermione laughed. "Almost right. I suppose it was the magic of the moment."

"Yes." Krum agreed, hastily, causing Hermione to smile again. A brisk wind caused Hermione to shiver and reminded her that it was only February.

"Are you cold?" Viktor asked.

Without waiting for an answer, he unfastened his heavy fur cloak and settled it around Hermione's shoulders.

"Thank you, but won't you be cold?"

Viktor shook his head. "No. Vere I come from it is much colder. I am too hot in that cloak but Karkaroff always makes me vear it, he says I vill catch cold."

"Everybody catches cold sometimes."

Viktor crossed his arms over his chest. "Not according to Karkaroff. Quidditch players should be immune to everything ordinary he says."

"He says that?"

"No. But that is what he thinks. It is not hard to see."

Krum's friends looked up from where they were clustered around the lakeshore and saw Hermione draped in Krum's cloak.

They nudged each other and pointed and shouted something at Krum in Bulgarian.

Krum shouted back, before taking Hermione's hand once more and walking with her until they were out of sight.

"What did you say to them?"

"I told them to… how vood you say… bugger off."

Hermione stifled giggles. "Why?" she asked. "What were they saying?"

Krum hesitated for a minute before answering. "For me to kiss you."

"Oh." Pinkness bloomed faintly on Hermione's cheeks.

Viktor took a deep breath, as if to gather his courage, before speaking again.

"Vood you like me to?"

"What?"

Viktor turned suddenly to face Hermione, stopping her in her tracks. She bumped straight into him. He didn't seem to notice.

She noticed though. There was less than an inch of space between them. She had to look up to meet his eyes.

His voice was suddenly very gentle and tender. "Kiss you," he said softly. Hermione felt like she couldn't breathe. "I… ah…I…" she stuttered.

Then Viktor's fingers found her chin. They were slightly callused from (presumably) gripping the handle of his broomstick but to her they felt soft and gentle.

He bent his head towards her and his fingers carefully guided her to him, until their lips met perfectly in the middle.

Hermione was sure her heart had stopped beating. Viktor Krum was kissing her.

His lips were soft where they touched hers. Suddenly, by pure instinct, Hermione slid her arms around Viktor's neck and kissed him back, harder. His hands found her waist and he drew her closer against him.

She had no notion of how long they had been kissing. It could have been mere seconds or minutes, hours, days, even years.

There was no time, only the sweet sensation of his mouth pressed up against hers. It seemed like it had been eternity when they finally pulled away and yet Hermione knew she could easily have gone on kissing him for another eternity.

They looked back down at the lake and there the Durmstrangs had made the fire take on the shape of Hermione and Krum, hanging in midair, kissing.

Both the eighteen-year-old Bulgarian international Quidditch star and the fourteen year-old English Muggle-born blushed furiously.

But Viktor's hand linked with Hermione's as he walked her back to the castle and he never did ask for his cloak back.

Twenty-one year-old Hermione Granger sighed as she folded a cloak made of matted fur and put it back in the small cupboard behind her desk in the Auror Headquarters of the Ministry of Magic.

There was a timid knock on her door and a quiet voice sounded that Hermione knew belonged to Natalie McDonald, the receptionist.

"Miss Granger? Minister Potter thought you might like to meet our newest Auror."

Hermione felt slightly annoyed. Why would Harry send the newbies to her? It was always Ron who dealt with the babies.

Nevertheless, it would be rude to send them away. "Come in." she called.

A very familiar face appeared around the door, followed by the six-foot frame of a very familiar, muscled, Bulgarian Quidditch player. Hermione almost threw herself out of her chair.

"Viktor!" she cried.

The Bulgarian picked her up and swung her as best he could in the cramped space of her office.

She wrapped her arms tightly around him as he put her down.

She assaulted him with half a dozen questions at once. "What are you doing here? How did you get here? Are you staying? What's been happening to you? Why is she saying you're an Auror?"

Viktor effectually stopped the flow of questions by capturing Hermione's lips with her own. She went limp in his arms when he pulled away. Still the same spark. Even after all these years.

Viktor attempted to answer her question one at a time. "First of all" he said. "I am very glad to see you Herm own nee. And to answer your questions: I am here to be an Auror. I came by broom. I am staying, at least for a good time. Many things have been happening to me. And your receptionist calls me an Auror because I am vun."

Hermione noticed with a smile that Viktor's accent hadn't deserted him in the least over the years. "But why are you an Auror Viktor? What about your Quidditch?"

Viktor's eyes darkened slightly. "I am an Auror because of something that happened to me. The Death Eaters killed both of my parents."

Hermione touched his shoulder in sympathy. She too had lost her parents to the Death Eaters. She supposed it was partly the reason she had become an Auror.

Even now, two years after Voldemort's downfall the Wizarding World was struggling to recuperate from the destruction he had caused.

"I'm sorry, Viktor" Hermione said gently. "The Death Eaters killed my parents too."

Krum nodded with an effort. "Ve are in the same boat. I vant to stop other peoples parents being killed. That is vy I became an Auror. I came to vurk in England, where the most damage is."

Hermione felt slightly disappointed for some reason. "Is that the only reason?" she asked, surprised at her own boldness.

Viktor surprised her by taking her hand. "No." he said. "Most of all, I came to England to be vith you." He drew her into his arms once more and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you, Hermione." Hermione felt as if she was drowning once more, the exact same feeling as when she had received her first kiss, from Viktor, by the lake at Hogwarts.

"I love you Viktor."

On the spur of the moment, Hermione pulled out of Viktor's arms and walked over to her cupboard. She produced a neatly folded fur cloak and offered it to Krum.

"Here" she said. "I never gave you your cloak back." Viktor took the cloak and shook it out. He then swung it around Hermione's shoulders.

It fit her much better than it had at fourteen. The hem was no longer trailing along the ground. Viktor stood back to admire her. "You keep it," he said. "It looks much better on you than me."

Hermione threw herself into Viktor's arms for another kiss, fur cloak and all.


	2. Chapter 2

A Walk by the Lakeside. Chapter 2.

Author: Self-Stirring-Cauldron.

Note: I had originally planned on this story being a oneshot so don't complain to me when the title had nothing to do with the story except for the first chapter.

Disclaimer: As you all know very well, these characters belong to Joanne Kathleen Rowling, not me. If you actually thought they belonged to me, look up to the top left hand corner. It says _fanfiction._ Not original fiction. If you still think they belong to me: Are you daft or blind or stupid or all three? Enjoy the story!

Note: Hey, by the way, I have really got no plot here, I'm writing without a net, just typing whatever pops into my head, within reason. If the story meanders a little don't blame me. What-do-you-want-from-me-people? I'm-not-a-miracle-worker! And this chapter isn't, I think, as good as the first one because I was trying really hard to get it up for you, my loyal readers, in time for Christmas, so I probably haven't checked it over enough. Anyway, enjoy!

Viktor and Hermione chatted for about an hour, catching up on everything that had happened to the other since Lord Voldemort's rise had forced them to stop their communication by owl.

At last, Viktor rose from his seat opposite Hermione. "Vell, I should be going," he said. "Oh of course," Hermione said, kicking herself for not thinking sooner. "You must be tired from your trip."

Viktor shrugged. "A little," he said. "I vill see you tomorrow, yes?" Hermione nodded. "Of course," she said. "Goodbye." Viktor exited her office, ducking so as not to bang his head on the extremely low door lintel. "Goodbye, Herm own nee."

Hermione collapsed in her chair for a moment after he left her mind reeling with the experience of seeing Viktor Krum again after seven years. After a moment, she rose and, with a determined expression on her face, marched off to the Minister for Magic's office.

She ignored his timid secretary and burst straight into the room. "Harry!" she demanded. "How could you send Viktor Krum to me without warning me first? Well! I'm waiting for an explanation!"

Harry glanced down at his quill, which had recorded Hermione's outburst on a piece of parchment that had previously held a memo to the Head of the Department for Magical Games and Sports, Oliver Wood.

"Sorry, Hermione," Harry said, with an innocent look on his face. "It must've slipped my mind. Being the youngest ever Minister for Magic is quite demanding you know." Hermione snorted. "Don't give me that innocent look Harry, I was _there_ when the twins _taught_ it to you."

Harry appeared quite unconcerned that the world's cleverest witch was standing in front of him, wand out, hair bristling in fury (although not as bushy as it once was, thank God for magical hair straighteners).

"What do you want me to do, Hermione? I sent Krum in. I admit it. You obviously can't be _that_ furious about it or you would have come storming in here an hour ago when I sent him in."

Hermione merely glowered at the perky raven-haired wizard in front of her. How did that saying go? 'You'll always be my friend, you know too much.' Harry _did_ know too much. He even knew about that fateful walk she had taken with Krum by the lake at Hogwarts, which she had conveniently 'forgotten' to mention to Ron.

"You…" she started and then stopped, trying to find words strong enough to suit Harry's crime. "You _Rita Skeeter!_" Harry's head jerked up at that one. "Ah come on now, 'Mione. That's going a bit far, don't you think?"

"No." Hermione said instantly. Harry spread his hands with a sigh of defeat. "Look, Hermione, once again, I'm sorry. As I said before, you can't be _that_ furious." He looked up at her. "Otherwise you wouldn't be wearing that cloak."

Hermione caught sight of her attire, she was still clad in the fur cloak. Oh well, Harry'd won now. There was no way she could top that trump. Well, she'd really only wanted to make him quiver a bit, she wasn't really angry.

She sank with a sigh into the chair in front of Harry's desk.

Harry grinned at her. "So, are you going to forgive me?" Hermione nodded wearily. Harry's expression grew brighter. "So…" he said, leadingly. "So what?" Hermione inquired.

"So are you going to tell me what happened directly or are you going to tell Ginny and I'll get it out of her later?"

"Your wife is far too liberal with people's secrets."

"Only to me."

"All right"

"All right?"

"All right, I'll tell you. What do you want to know?"

"Everything. Is he all right d'you think? Do I have a fabulous new Auror on my hands? Did he kiss you?"

"Not sure, probably and yes."

"Huh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well you're certainly not the most articulate Minister for Magic. I'm not sure if he's all right. You might know the Death Eaters killed his parents just like mine. As to the Auror bit, you know his spell work better than I do. All I can tell you is that he can shoot fire out of his wand. And yes, he kissed me."

Hermione blushed slightly as she said the last few words and attempted to cover it up by glaring at Harry, who was grinning more widely than ever.

"You look like Ron did when you told us you kissed Cho Chang," she snapped at him.

"I feel like it too." Harry said cheerfully. "I never really got why Ron laughed till now. This is _brilliant._"

"I bet you Ron won't think so."

"Ah well you never know." Harry said sagely as he rested his chin in his hand. "He may have grown older and wiser."

Hermione snorted. "Are we talking about the same Ron here? Weasley, very tall, thin, red hair."

"Yes." Harry's smile had grown somewhat less. "You know Ron only lashed out at Krum because he liked you. He might be better now he's going out with Luna."

Hermione shrugged and rose. "You might be right."

"Oh and Hermione?" Hermione turned to look at Harry from the doorway of his office. "I told Krum you'd show him round the Ministry tomorrow. If you don't mind." Hermione glared and Harry grinned again.

"Very well, _Minister_," Hermione said scathingly as she turned to go out the door. "Oh and Harry?" she said without looking back.

"Yes 'Mione?"

"Don't try and play matchmaker. It doesn't suit you." Hermione swept out of the office in a swirl of fur. Harry sat back in his chair and smiled a secret smile to himself. Despite Hermione's words, he had every intention of playing 'matchmaker'.

The next morning, Hermione woke early and rolled over in bed. She had an odd feeling teasing at the edges of her consciousness. Had something happened yesterday? Something important?

Of course! Viktor was in England! He'd come to the Ministry of Magic to be an Auror. And… she smiled as she thought. To see her. And Harry was _blatantly _playing matchmaker!

Unused to lazing around Hermione rolled out of bed and commenced her morning toilet early. She took a shower, straightened her hair and dressed with particular care in pretty blue robes that looked lovely against her brown hair and eyes.

Actually, they reminded her of the robes she had worn to the Yule Ball, if more plainly cut. They were nearly the exact same shade of periwinkle blue. Finally satisfied with her appearance she fastened her cloak around her shoulders and left her apartment.

Entering her office, Hermione groaned at the amount of paperwork on her desk. _You'd think if Harry was trying to set me and Viktor up he'd actually give me time to do it. _She thought. _Oh well. I'm here, anyway. Best get to work. _

Either an hour or several weeks later, Hermione couldn't tell, she was in a paperwork coma, somebody knocked on the door. "Come in," Hermione called. "Herm own nee?" A voice came from around the door, followed by Viktor.

"Oh right!" Hermione leapt to her feet, reminded that she was supposed to show Viktor around the Ministry. "Er, Potter… er, the Minister, says you vill show me around your Ministry?" Viktor asked tentatively.

"Yes, yes, come in." Krum inserted the rest of himself in the doorway just as Hermione upset a pile of parchment dealing with House-Elf Rights, all over the floor.

"Let me help you." He knelt to pick up the parchment. "Oh, thanks." Hermione quickly gathered the parchment; her head down so Viktor wouldn't see her red face. She piled the parchment she had collected on her desk and then turned to take the ones Viktor was holding.

To her horror, she blushed like a schoolgirl when their hands met. _What is wrong with you?_ She scolded herself. _You're twenty-one, not twelve. You should be ashamed of yourself! At this rate, you'll probably even lose his friendship! Stop acting so sentimentally! _

"Are you all right, Herm own nee?" Viktor asked. Hermione stifled a gasp. It was as if he could read her thoughts! "Oh yes, fine," she answered hurriedly. "It's rather hot in here isn't it? Not as hot as it was last June but then that was a record temperature wasn't it? Was it hot in Bulgaria then too?"

_Shut up! Shut up!_ Her brain yelled at her. _You're babbling! Do you know how stupid you sound? He probably thinks you're insane! Shut up! _A tingling sensation stopped this tirade of thoughts. Viktor laid the palm of his hand over the back of hers.

His voice was soft as he spoke. "Hermione," he said. "I am very sorry if I vas too forward last night, vith kissing you and everything. I vos just very happy to see you. I haff missed you. I think I still haff feelings for you and I thought maybe you still had feelings for me. Ve can just be friends if that is vot you vant."

Hermione turned to Viktor, joy welling in her heart. He just always seemed to be able to relieve her fears, even if it was unconsciously. She'd been hoping that he really still had feelings for her when he had kissed her last night and that it wasn't just because he was seeing her, as a friend, for the first time in ages.

Unable to put her thoughts into words, she simply leaned forwards and kissed him. It was still as amazing as it had been all that time ago at the lake, when she had been a young girl receiving her first kiss.

Some things never change, not even in seven years.

Viktor smiled as she pulled back. "Thank you," he said simply. Hermione smiled at him too and they shared a moment of silence, words unneeded to express the happiness in the air.

"So" Krum said eventually, with the mischievous gleam in his eye that she hadn't seen since the days of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "Are you going to be showing me this Ministry of yours or vill you leave me to find out all by myself?"

Hermione laughed and grinned slyly at him, "Maybe if you ask nicely,"

"Er, pretty please?"

"Hmm…"

"Pretty please vith, er, vot do you call it, sugar on top?"

"Maybe…"

"Pretty please vith a surprise on top of it?"

"You have to show me what the surprise is first."

"How about this?" Viktor leaned down to kiss Hermione again. "Mmm. Good surprise," she mumbled. "Vill you show me now then?" Viktor asked, laughingly. "Well… all right."

The two set off together out of Hermione's office and toward the elevators, ignoring the parchment which had once again cascaded all over the floor.

"So, where do you want me to start?" Hermione asked as they stepped into the elevator, which was filled with flapping, purple, interdepartmental memos.

"At the beginning?" Viktor suggested with a grin. "This place is very big."

Hermione nodded in agreement and launched into a lecture similar to the ones she used to give Harry and Ron at Hogwarts.

"Well, these are interdepartmental memos, just ignore them most of the time, unless one lands on your desk. They're a lot less messy than owls. I suppose we'll go to the Atrium first, that's where everybody Apparates in, and there's fireplaces too in case you want to Floo instead of Apparate…"

Viktor listened carefully to the information spewing out of Hermione's mouth but with his eyes he paid much more attention to her beautiful figure. Her robes seemed slightly familiar. _They're the exact same colour as the ones she wore to the Ball_ he thought.


End file.
